<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Amber Ending by newsies_of_corona</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419518">The Amber Ending</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsies_of_corona/pseuds/newsies_of_corona'>newsies_of_corona</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alchemy Enemies [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Villain Varian, factory settings hugo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:21:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419518</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsies_of_corona/pseuds/newsies_of_corona</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Hugo wasn't fast enough with the knife...?<br/>(Again, Factory Settings Hugo belongs to Hugo admin in the 7K roleplay!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>it's not alchemy bros or varigo they just hate eachother</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alchemy Enemies [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161200</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Amber Ending</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You want to keep going? Or do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to be my </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘magnum opus?’” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Varian asks, a dark glint in his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo jumps as the door shuts and drops the dummy on the ground. He can tell the glowing solution that Varian is holding now is definitely the same compound. He backs up further, unfortunately straight into a black rock. His breath gets caught in his throat but he tries not to let Varian see how scared he is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You...</span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> made more of it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian most definitely can sense how nervous Hugo is. Good. He should be. Varian’s let this guy mess with him for far too long; it’ll be nice to finally give him what he deserves. No holding back this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waves the vial closer to Hugo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a nice bargaining chip.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pops off the cork of the vial and closes in on his enemy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think you’re so smart, so clever, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> loves you…’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian sharpens his glare and takes another step forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I bet not </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> person back there would even notice you’re missing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is not going as Hugo expected and he becomes more and more nervous. Varian could actually trap him. Right there. He tries to bring up an excuse to stop it, using the one person who he knows would care. Or at least, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>thinks</span>
  </em>
  <span> he would.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Andrew won’t be too happy if I’m gone.” He says, almost sadly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian scoffs and grabs a rope on the ground. He has to make sure Hugo can’t try to run. He ties Hugo’s arm to the rock emotionlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Andrew doesn’t scare me. Besides...he only needs</span>
  <em>
    <span> one</span>
  </em>
  <span> alchemist anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo keeps Varian’s gaze as a distraction while he reaches into his belt for a dagger. Varian, however, notices the gesture. He finishes the knot and grabs Hugo’s wrist right as he pulls out the weapon. The blade drops to the ground and Hugo’s head shoots up, his eyes full of fear. Varian kicks the dagger aside with a sneer and pulls on Hugo’s goggles around his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Try again.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo’s mind suddenly goes blank. He’s out of plans, out of weapons, and completely at Varian’s mercy. Did he actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>lose?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo’s mind races as Varian ties his other arm to the spike.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No...no he couldn’t have lost. It can’t end like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Being taken down by a puny amateur alchemist? At sixteen years old? He had so much more to accomplish! He couldn’t let </span>
  <em>
    <span>Varian</span>
  </em>
  <span> win!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y-yeah that’s real mature. Threatening me with…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo trails off, not even having a quip to say for this scenario. He was going to die. Unless…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finally speechless?” Varian asks, mockingly. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With no other options left and his time running out, Hugo’s demeanor shifts and he lowers his head in defeat. He can’t really tell if he’s acting or not, but maybe Varian could at least show some compassion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Varian...</span>
  <em>
    <span>please don’t do this…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He begs, his voice actually sounding human for once...and terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian wavers with the amber in his hand, taking in the full scope of what he’s about to do. Trapping Hugo in amber...was basically a death sentence as far as he knows. Nothing can shatter it. After all, he had tried everything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian glances from the vial and then over to Hugo’s pitiful state. In all of the months Varian had known the fellow alchemist this was the first time he’d actually seen </span>
  <em>
    <span>real </span>
  </em>
  <span>emotion in what was usually a stark, cold personality. Hugo may have made fun of Varian’s trauma relentlessly and bullied him whenever he got the chance, but if Varian took this step, if he crossed this line into actual violence, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he’d</span>
  </em>
  <span> be the real monster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo waits in the agonizing tension, not knowing whether he’d live to see the next day or not. He hates this feeling. This powerless shell that he became in a split second. He glances up from the ground and sees Varian frozen, seemingly in thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha-Hairstripe…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His thoughts combined with Hugo’s begging almost make Varian back down, until he remembers...he’s already a monster. It’s not like he hasn’t done this before. He almost trapped the queen in amber, though she escaped, and almost killed Rapunzel too. And all of those plans failed. He couldn’t save his dad or even take down his enemies when he had the chance. Hugo’s right. Quirin’s amber statue </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> his biggest failure, but Hugo’s could be his biggest success. Finally serving justice to the people who hurt him deeply. He grips the amber tighter in his hand and steps up to the base of the rock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You hurt me, Hugo.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He starts, lowly. “You’ve been hurting me for </span>
  <em>
    <span>months. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span> with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hugo looks up at Varian panicked, tears starting to prick his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Varian, I-I’m sorry but...you don’t have to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>this-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian turns his head away from Hugo and kneels down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No...this is </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> what I have to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without giving it another thought, Varian pours the vial on the rocks and steps back as the compound begins bubbling on the rock, growing closer and closer to Hugo. He tries his best to resist it, shifting every way he could, but a curl of amber envelops his foot, and he knows it’s over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian can’t watch as the amber slowly overtakes Hugo’s entire body, but can hear the sound of the shards spiking. He gives one small glance to his victim who is staring at him with pain, anger, and terror in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I hope you’re happy…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Hugo chokes out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes as the amber goes over his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varian’s stomach drops and he walks away from the scene, discarding the empty vial of amber on the ground. The vial rolls down to the newly created statue and clinks against the amber. Varian can’t bear to look back as he walks out his door and falls to his knees outside. He did it again. And this time it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>purposeful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The guilt only grows stronger as the seconds tick by, but there’s nothing he can do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He should feel happy. Or at least relieved. Hugo’s out of his life and he doesn’t have to deal with him ever again. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>won.</span>
  </em>
  <span> But Varian soon comes to find out that “winning” feels even worse than losing...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The alchemist’s lab now housed two figures. Varian’s own father, painfully reaching up for an escape, and now Hugo, restrained and pitifully staring down to the ground, accepting his fate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(At least Varian got his good side…)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, there we have it! I might expand this series but it would actually be with this ending instead of the other one 😅 Hope you enjoyed the story!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>